RECORDS

Chemical Engineering Technology Operating Council (CTOC), 11/5/2002 Meeting, Indianapolis

Attendees

• Tim Anderson, Chair, Chemical Engineering Operating Council (CTOC)
• Bill Koros, CTOC
• Steve Smith, CTOC, AIChE Sr. Director, Publications, Meetings & Education Services
• Joseph Cramer, CTOC, AIChE, Director, Technical Programming
• Bette Lawler, AIChE, Sr. Director, Membership
• Neil Yeoman, Separations Division
• Bob Sylvester, Environmental Division
• Benson Pair, Environmental Division
• Suzanne Kresta, North American Mixing Forum
• Nate Chipman, Nuclear Engineering Division
• Ronald Denney, Nuclear Engineering Division
• Alan McCormick, Materials Engineering Sciences Division
• Doug Kalika, Materials Engineering Sciences Division
• Bruce Nauman, North American Mixing Forum
• Chris Seymour, Process Development Division
• Todd Przybycien, Food, Pharmaceutical & Bioengineering Division
• Joe Porcelli, Management Division
• Fernando J. Aguirre, Management Division
• Andre Da Costa, Separations Division
• Frank Van Lier, Management Division
• John Corn, Process Development Division
• Chris Verrill, Forest Product Division
• Ralph Nelson, Particle Technology Forum
• Mark Stadherr, Computing & Systems Technology Division
• Anette Ngijol, AIChE, Staff Associate Student Chapters & Technical Divisions/Forums
• Felicia Guglielmi, AIChE, Membership Manager
• Jack Dean, AIChE, Manager Technical Programming

Tim Anderson opened the meeting with introductions. He then asked Bill Koros to give the group an update on the CTOC Working Group on Divisions and Forum Best Practices.

CTOC’s Division/Forum Best Practices Working Group

Bill gave an overview of the 6 areas this Working Group is focusing on:

• Organization (bylaws, organizational and technical leadership, standing committees, ways and means, membership growth and development)
• Planning (organizational, long range divisional and technical programming, leadership recruitment and development)
• Technical Programming (accountability within the division, programming process, interactions with other division, interaction with the Institute)
• Communications and Member Services (newsletters, networking poster sessions, divisional dinners, web pages, topical meeting preprints, novel web-based outreach)
• Recognition (professional achievement, student achievement, volunteer contribution)
• Other specific Best Practices (items that do not fit neatly into one of the above categories)

The process of gathering and putting together the information is taken longer than anticipated, however, so far the group has received input from 14 divisions/forums. Some of the findings so far are:

• Everyone has a formal structure that works or should work, although some divisions/forums’ bylaws have not been reviewed recently
• Membership is declining and enthusiasm is missing in many cases. There are also problems in finding new people to get involved.
• Most entities are happy with themselves – they are active and functioning with a mission statement
• The divisions/forums need to be empowered to take ownership of their specific communities
• AIChE needs to provide more infrastructure to support the divisions/forums (some suggestions were for a better functional website)
• Planning needs to be expanded to extend beyond the next meeting
• Most divisions/forums have some form of a newsletter, either electronically or online
• Equally, most divisions and forums have dynamic websites, however, there are some problems in finding someone or the funds to maintain them
• Most divisions and forums use plaques/certificates or other forms of acknowledgement to recognize outgoing division and forum officers
• All divisions and forums give out awards to honor contributions and achievement by members or individuals in their field

It is important to find ways to promote cross-disciplinary programs between not only divisions and forums but between all groups within the Institute. This would help re-establish AIChE’s position as "Keeper of the Bank of Knowledge." It could also reenergize current, not as viable, programs and attract new emerging areas, which AIChE could incorporate as entities or programs.

It was decided that once CTOC has reviewed the report, Bill would send it electronically to the divisions and forums. Bill encouraged comments from the group. He can be reached at wjk@che.gatech.edu

Membership Campaign

Bette Lawler presented a new membership marketing initiative in the form of an individualized membership brochure for each division and forum. Bette spoke about the retention problem the Institute as a whole is experiencing – 80% of new members leave AIChE after a couple of years. The cost for this brochure would be approximately $3000/division and forum. Bette stated that she would be prepared to go ahead with this brochure without the financial participation of the divisions and forums, but she asked for input from the group as to whether there was an interest in doing this. The consensus among the group was that it would be more efficient to focus on increasing AIChE’s membership base as a whole instead of focusing on the division and forum membership. The divisions and forums would benefit as a result of increased membership in the Institute.

The group discussed other ways of marketing division/forum membership. One suggestion was to add a 2-sided glossy promo piece (an attention grabber) to the dues bill mailing. Another suggestion was to work with local sections to promote membership in a division or forum.

It was suggested that AIChE collect information about division/forum activities and programs and make them available to the public, through AIChE publications, such as CEP.

2002 Leadership Development Conference

Anette Ngijol reported that the 2002 Leadership Development Conference in Chicago, IL, was a success. Approximately 150 people attended the conference, and 6 out of 14 divisions (43%) and 1 out of 3 forums (33%) were represented. The conference program had been developed with the goal of making it more inclusive of the divisions and forums, and their unique needs and requests. Several of the people present at this meeting attended the Leadership Development Conference and Anette asked them for their thoughts. The overall impression was that the conference was well-worth the time, and specifically good was the keynote session (a leadership personality assessment test), brainstorming sessions with division/forum members and CTOC, and the opportunity to network and talk with attendees and staff.

Anette then asked the group what they would like to see at the next conference. Some of the suggestions were:

• Publications/Communications: workshops on how divisions/forums can create/improve their publications and means of communication, as well as information on how AIChE can be of assistance
• Active workshops on leadership
• Best Practices: seminars and workshops focused on information sharing between divisions and forums
• Website: help in identifying what works/what doesn’t work

The 2003 Leadership Development Conference is scheduled for June 6-8, in Woodcliff Lake, NJ. As was done with the 2002 conference a local section (for 2003 the North Jersey Section) a division/forum and a committee will co-host the conference.

Focus on Process Development Division

John Corn, 2001-2002 Chair of the division informed the group that the Process Development Division is now officially a division (CTOC approved the change of status from probationary to permanent on November 2, 2002.) The division started as a pilot plant committee in 1984 and its name was changed in 1996 to the Process Development Engineering Group. Its mission is to provide leadership in the development of the next-generation technologies for process development. The division has no elected directors, only an executive committee with two elected officers, a treasurer and a chair. The division is involved in several activities, such as programming, symposiums, plant tours, bench marking, social mixers, resources for process development, and personal development. This year, the division gave out its first awards, and two more awards are underway. Upcoming projects include the Accelerating Process Development in Growth conference, June 22, 2003 in Split Rock, PA (in the Pocono’s), bench marking projects and a local section road show.

CTOC Report

Tim Anderson briefed the group on the Genesis Project, a business model to improve Institute finances and methods, and how the three main emerging technologies in chemical engineering (sustainability, biotechnology and nanotechnology) can be incorporated into AIChE’s activities. There is a need to set up sub-groups within the Institute to incorporate and take advantage of these new technologies. Tim acknowledged that there is a concern among some divisions and forums that these new sub-groups could overlap with existing division to change its missions and structure. Tim noted that it is important to keep all groups involved in the process. Further, CTOC is considering how a more matrixed organizational structure might work.

Tim then turned to Bill Koros to talk about how CTOC can help divisions and forums on several issues relevant to CTOC’s Division/Forum Best Practices Working Group. Bill asked for suggestions in regards to how CTOC can empower divisions/forums to take control of their membership, how CTOC can help divisions/forums reach out to students, how CTOC can structure the correct services to help divisions and forums generate their own resources, and what CTOC should do operationally for divisions/forums to make it easier for them to work.

The group responded by suggesting:

• Frequent and current membership list sent to the divisions and forums
• Keep divisions and forums informed early on what is planned for programming at future conferences
• Add a check box for division/forum membership on the conference on-site membership application
• Add a sign at Resource Center (at conferences) for division and forum information and membership
• A yearly calendar of activities and deadlines for the National Programming Committee, CTOC and divisions and forums